London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 29, 2025

Old age: Why 70 may be the new 65

Experts say health and life expectancy gains mean it is time to rethink how we measure and define being elderly.

The Office for National Statistics team says although 65 has traditionally been seen as the start of old age, 70 could be seen as the "new 65".

That's because many people who reach this milestone birthday can still expect to live another 15 years.

Remaining life expectancy may be a better marker of old age, they say.


What age is old?

Traditionally, 65 has been taken as the entry point into old age.

For decades it has been the official retirement age for men when they can start drawing their state pension.

But working patterns are shifting and the pension age is rising for both men and women - it will reach 66 in 2020 and 67 by 2028.

The ONS team says people are living longer, healthier lives.

That means we should consider the years people have ahead of them, not just chronological age when deciding what "old" looks like.


Changing times

The ONS Centre for Ageing and Demography team looked back at population data on health and life expectancy to compare trends over time.

If you take the measure of 15 years of life remaining, the average age that a person will hit this point has changed over the last century.

In 1951 men and women around the age of 60 could expect to live another 15 years. By the 1990s it had shifted to 65 and currently it's 70-year-olds who can expect another 15 years of life.

In 2057, experts predict this average age will rise again to 75.

The population's life expectancy has increased over the centuries thanks to improvements in healthcare and living conditions.

But are these extra years enjoyed in good health? Is it fair to shift the milestone of old age from 65 to 70?


Older and better?

Health by chronological (birthday) age has improved over time.

But changes in health by prospective age (how much time you have left to live) have declined in some cases and improved in others.

By the researchers' calculations, levels of poor general health for women aged 70 in 2017 were around the same as for those aged 60 in 1981, while levels of longstanding illness were similar for women aged around 64.

For men, levels of poor general health at age 70 in 2017 were around the same as for those aged 65 in 1997, while levels of limiting longstanding illness were similar for those around age 57.

So, at a population level, it would seem fair to label 70 as the new 65 (or perhaps even younger), even taking health into account.

Libby Webb, senior research manager at Age UK, said: "People at age 70 now have the same life expectancy and similar health to people aged 65 in the past so, on average, we are definitely seeing people doing better than they did in the past."

But she said most people still experienced a period of poor health at the end of their lives.

"What we are not seeing is that period getting shorter."

She said improved life expectancy meant there were now more "very old" people with quite complex care needs and that health inequalities between the richest and poorest remain.

But she said an ageing society should not be viewed as negative.

"We know that older people make really important contributions to our society both through their paid work and through their caring responsibilities and volunteering.

"Age is just a number and for different people it means different things."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
Explosive Email Shows Sarah Ferguson Begged Forgiveness from Jeffrey Epstein After Taking His Money
Corrupt UK Politician Ed Davey Demands Elon Musk’s Arrest for Supporting Democracy
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
Alibaba Debuts Open-Source Deep Research Agent with Benchmarks Rivaling OpenAI
Marcos Faces Legacy-Defining Crisis as Flood Projects Scandal Sparks Massive Tide of Protests
China’s Micro-Drama Boom Turns Stalled Real Estate Projects into Lavish Film Sets
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
'Company Got 5,189 H-1B Visas, Then Laid Off 16,000 Americans': US Defends New $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Golf legend tells Omar she should be 'sent back to Somalia' after her Kirk comments
EU Set to Bar Big Tech from New Financial Data Access Scheme
China Bans Livestreaming and AI in Religion Amid Crackdown on Shaolin Temple Scandal
×